3rd Arrondissement

On Saturday the 11th, we resumed our tour of Paris by visiting the 3rd Arrondissement. Also known as the Marais, it is the oldest neighborhood of Paris that was not on the islands. The architecture is different here, there is a more peaceful feel and one leaves a lot of what makes Paris "Paris" behind. The streets are more crooked and there are many tiny gardens tucked away among them. We had beautiful weather and truly enjoyed this different side of the city.

We started at the Place de la Bastille where the notorious prison stood before the revolution. There is only a monument and traffic circle these days but it serves as kind of gateway to the area.

At the Place des Vosges (oldest square in Paris) we let the kids play in what has became our favorite park and toured Victor Hugo's home.

We also found our favorite Paris museum in this neighborhood, the Carnavalet. Often left off of tourists itineraries, it is a museum of Paris and utterly fascinating. It shows the story of Paris from the early Lutician settlement, through Roman development, conquering of the Gauls, the beginning of today's Paris through the Revolution. This hall shows a display of traditional shop signs that denoted what the business was before the average citizen could read. We had a lot of fun trying to figure out what each one meant.

This tiny garden shows (in my favorite way) that spring has finally hit Paris.

We also visited the Picasso museum and were totally unimpressed.

Then we found one of those hidden gardens to eat a quite picnic in and the kids enjoyed feeding scraps to the birds.

Lastly, we visited the Doll Musuem. Very fun and quite unique.